Pathe Rooster store displays

[CurtA]

I have been fortunate enough to discover two Pathe roosters in the wild.  The first was several years ago and it was in bad shape, requiring a complete restoration.  I found the second one in June of this year and can now verify that there are at least two variations.  My first said Pathe in script and the word disc on the base.  The second says Pathe in script, along with phonographs and records on top of the base and incised around the base it says "No More Needles".   I posted this information previously on the Talking Machine Forum, so if you have already read that, please excuse this post.

 

I received my new Pathe rooster back in June and spent some time cleaning off 100 years of crud and black stuff - it was horribly filthy.

 

Underneath it all, it is actually in relatively good condition (much better than the first one I restored) and has most of its original paint. What looked like an over paint was totally grime, so it should be a relatively easy restoration. It has a chipped upper beak and a hole in each leg, but otherwise mostly just some chipped off paint.

 

The strange looking lines on the bottom near the label is actually horse hair that was mixed with the plaster for strength. This rooster also solved a problem regarding original paint schemes... the reddish orange color on this is original and the full color scheme on my other one is original, also, which indicates that either one is correct.

 

The interesting thing is that it has an original paper label on the bottom with a name and address of L. Biagiotti, 45 Greenwich Ave. in Greenwich Village, New York.

 

My first thought was that Louis Biagiotti may have been a Pathe dealer. But from info gathered from the 1916 New York City Directory, Louis Biagotti is listed at 45 Greenwich Ave., along with Odostone Mfg. Co. makers of "Plaster Novelties". His brother is also listed as a "plasterer".

 

The word odostone ("odostome") apparently refers to ground sea shells/oyster shell reefs, which was probably used to make plaster and would have been an abundant, free source of material.  This "plaster" was also known as "tabby cement".  It was used as a building material mainly in the south, but was also made on Staten Island, NY.

 

Both of my rooster store displays seem to have been made from a more cement like material, not traditional plaster as used in home building or construction.

 

I recently inquired to Charley Hummel and he told me they were definitely made in the U.S., not Europe, but he had no idea of where.  So, with all of this circumstantial evidence, I believe that I have stumbled upon the mysterious manufacturer of these Pathé store displays which has eluded collectors for many years...

Edited July 17, 2021 by CurtA

[phonogfp]

Curt, I'd have to agree that the evidence strongly suggests Louis Biagotti as a manufacturer (if not the ONLY manufacturer) of the Pathe advertising roosters.

 

George P.

[CurtA]

I believe that I found credible evidence to finally name Louis Biagotti as the creator and manufacturer of the Pathe Rooster store displays.  

 

I previously found mention of him and his company as manufacturers of "plaster novelties" in a 1916 New York City Directory, but felt like I needed further information about him.  I have searched many times for his name or Edostone Mfg. Co. with no luck.  Yesterday, I happened to find his name, at the same address in a 1927 New York City Directory.  This time he was listed under the heading of "Sculptors", which seems to be the final proof that he actually created the roosters and manufactured them.  I was thrilled with this new discovery, after all other searches came up empty...

[CurtA]

1925 New York State Census

[CurtA]

In 1910, Andrew Biagiotti (Louis' father) was making statuary on Lexington Ave. on Staten Island.  My previous research showed that "tabby cement" was not only made in South Carolina, but also on Staten Island and this might be the source.

[CurtA]

In 1916, Louis Biagiotti was listed as a sculptor, next to Gutzon Borglum - the famous sculptor of Mt. Rushmore and they lived in the same vicinity... coincidence?  Probably, but who knows...  Gutzon didn't carve a rooster into Mt. Rushmore.

Edited October 26, 2021 by CurtA